London and Kuala Lumpur, 2 February 2016 – Piracy and armed robbery on the world’s seas is persisting at levels close to those in 2014, despite reductions in the number of ships hijacked and crew captured, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual piracy report reveals.

The number of social media sites now facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods in the UK has increased enormously during the 2014/15 period, creating additional burden on rights owners and enforcement agencies.